Michael Jackson trial: Who is Debbie Rowe?

By Fehmida Bholat, HLNtv.com

Updated 11:18 AM ET, Wed August 7, 2013

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Key players in Jackson wrongful death trial – Katherine Jackson: Michael's mother, 82, was deposed for nine hours over three days by AEG Live lawyers. As the guardian of her son's three children, she is a plaintiff in the wrongful death lawsuit against the company that promoted Michael Jackson's comeback concerts.

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Key players in Jackson wrongful death trial – Kenny Ortega: He was chosen by Michael Jackson and AEG Live to direct and choreograph the "This Is It" shows. Ortega, who choreographed for Jackson's "Dangerous" and "HIStory" tours, testified at Dr. Conrad Murray's criminal trial that "Jackson was frail" at a rehearsal days before his death.

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Key players in Jackson wrongful death trial – Dr. Conrad Murray: He was Michael Jackson's personal physician in the two months before his death, giving him nightly infusions of the surgical anesthetic that the coroner ruled led to his death. Murray, who is appealing his involuntary manslaughter conviction, has sworn that he would invoke his Fifth Amendment protection from self-incrimination and refused to testify in the civil trial. There is a chance that Murray will be brought into court from jail to testify outside the presence of the jury to allow the judge to determine if he would be ordered to testify.

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Key players in Jackson wrongful death trial – Joe Jackson: Michael's father, 84, is on the witness list for the trial and may testify. The Jackson family patriarch, who lives in Las Vegas separately from his wife, has suffered several ministrokes in the last year, which some close to him say have affected him.

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Prince Jackson: Michael's oldest son is considered a key witness in the Jacksons' case against AEG Live, since he is expected to testify about what his father told him about the concert promoter in the last days of his life. Prince, who turned 16 in February, is becoming more independent -- he now has a driver's license and jobs.

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Key players in Jackson wrongful death trial – Paris Jackson: Michael's daughter, who turned 15 on April 3, is on the list of witnesses and was questioned by AEG Live lawyers for several hours on March 21 about her father's death. Paris is an outspoken teen who often posts messages to her 1 million-plus Twitter followers.

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Key players in Jackson wrongful death trial – Blanket Jackson: Although AEG Live asked the judge to order Blanket, 11, to sit for a deposition, and he is one of the four plaintiffs suing them, Michael's youngest son will not be a witness in the trial. His doctor submitted a note to the court saying it would be "medically detrimental" to the child.

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Key players in Jackson wrongful death trial – Randy Phillips: He's president of AEG Live, the concert promoter that contracted with Michael Jackson for his "This Is It" comeback shows set to start in London in July 2009. The Jackson lawsuit says Phillips supervised Dr. Conrad Murray's treatment of Jackson in the weeks before his death, making the company liable for damages. E-mails between Phillips and other executives showed they were worried about Jackson's missed rehearsals and sought Murray's help getting him ready.

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Key players in Jackson wrongful death trial – Kevin Boyle: The Los Angeles personal injury lawyer is leading the Jackson team of at least six attorneys in the wrongful death suit against AEG Live. One of his notable cases was a large settlement with Boeing on behalf of two soldiers injured when their helicopter malfunctioned and crashed in Iraq.

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Key players in Jackson wrongful death trial – Perry Sanders, Jr.: Katherine Jackson's personal lawyer is helping steer the Jackson matriarch through her relations with her son's estate, probate court and the wrongful death suit. He is also known for representing the family of Biggie Smalls in their suit against the city of Los Angeles over the rapper's death investigation.

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Key players in Jackson wrongful death trial – Marvin Putnam: He's the lead lawyer for AEG Live, defending against the wrongful death suit. The primary focus of his legal practice is "media in defense of their First Amendment rights," according to his official biography.

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Key players in Jackson wrongful death trial – Philip Anschutz: The billionaire owner of AEG, parent company of AEG Live, is on the Jacksons' witness list. He is the force behind the effort to build a football stadium in downtown Los Angeles to lure a National Football League team to the city. He recently pulled his company off the market after trying to sell it for $8 billion.

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Key players in Jackson wrongful death trial – Tim Leiweke: He was recently fired as AEG's president as Philip Anschutz announced he was taking a more active role in the company. The Jackson lawyers say Leiweke's e-mail exchanges with executives under him concerning Michael Jackson's health are important evidence in their case.

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Key players in Jackson wrongful death trial – Paul Gongaware: The AEG Live co-CEO worked closely with Michael Jackson as he prepared for his comeback concerts. He testified at Dr. Conrad Murray's criminal trial that he contacted the physician and negotiated his hiring at the request of Jackson. AEG lawyers say it was Jackson who chose, hired and supervised Murray. Gongaware knew Jackson well, having been tour manager for the singer in previous years.

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Key players in Jackson wrongful death trial – John Branca: He's one of two executors of Michael Jackson's estate. Branca was Jackson's lawyer until about seven years before his death. He said Jackson rehired him just weeks before he died.

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Story highlights

Michael Jackson's ex-wife is set to testify in his wrongful death trial

Rowe, mother of two of Jackson's children, primarily stays out of the spotlight

AEG Live will call Rowe to testify in its defense

Debbie Rowe has said she doesn't want fame. But as Michael Jackson's ex-wife and the mother of two of his children, she may now be thrust into the center of the latest high-profile trial related to the superstar's death.

Rowe is set to testify this week at the wrongful death trial that Jackson's family has brought against entertainment giant AEG Live.

A lawsuit filed by the Jackson family claims that the concert promoter is liable for the death of Jackson because it hired Dr. Conrad Murray, who treated the superstar with propofol, a surgical anesthetic, to help him sleep. A coroner ruled that the superstar's death was caused by an overdose of the drug.

Murray was convicted of involuntary manslaughter for Jackson's death in 2011.

While the trial thus far has largely focused on key players involved in Jackson's comeback "This Is It" tour, it now turns to Rowe, who has largely shunned the spotlight since divorcing Michael Jackson in the 1990s.

AEG Live will call Rowe to testify, and because of her close relationship with Jackson, she could bring some unique insights on the pop singer's life.

Rowe, 54, currently lives on a horse farm in Palmdale, California, about an hour north of Los Angeles.

She and Jackson met while Rowe was working as a dermatology nurse in Los Angeles for Dr. Arnold Klein. Klein had been the singer's personal friend and dermatologist for years. After Jackson was diagnosed with vitiligo in the 1980s, he visited the doctor frequently.

Rowe has said in interviews that her friendship with Jackson grew over the course of these visits, and that Jackson expressed a deep desire to become a father. Rowe said she desperately wanted to give him that gift, and they struck an agreement that she would bear his children.

"He was upset because he really wanted to be a dad," Rowe said in a 2003 interview with ABC News. "I said, 'So, be a dad.' He looked at me puzzled. That is when I looked at him and said. 'Let me do this. I want to do this. You have been so good to me. You are such a great friend. Please let me do this. You need to be a dad, and I want you to be.' "

It was while she was pregnant with their first child, Prince, that they wed in Australia in 1996. A year later, Rowe gave birth to their second child, a daughter named Paris. Rowe has said that Jackson was overjoyed by fatherhood and took full responsibility for raising the children.

Their marriage, however, did not last. The couple divorced in 1999, and Rowe went on to relinquish custodial rights over their two children. In 2004, however, Rowe tried to reverse that decision when the singer faced child abuse charges. Though she did not win custody, Jackson was ordered to pay her $60,000 in legal fees.

Then in 2005, during Jackson's highly publicized molestation trial, Rowe came to her ex-husband's defense and claimed in court that he was a supportive and loving father, though she admitted she had not seen Jackson or her children for several years. The pop star was eventually acquitted on all counts.

Shortly after the trial, Rowe moved to Palmdale and continued to live a life out of the limelight until Jackson's death in 2009. Since Jackson's passing, Rowe has reportedly become a permanent fixture in her children's lives and has grown close to daughter Paris. After the 15-year-old's failed suicide attempt June 5, Rowe tweeted about Paris, "She is strong like her father."